Monday, May 05, 2008

what's the point in trying to resist?!!

Today marks the end of The Twisted Fairy Tale Challenge. I got 2 of my 4 books read. To celebrate my success at completing half my reads (hey, I'm trying to be one of those glass-half-full people here!), I've decided to join two new challenges!

Okay, okay, I am so full of crap...I didn't join to celebrate...I just couldn't stop myself. It's a compulsion. The good news is that I know I'm not alone.

First up, I joined the 1% Well Read Challenge. From the moment I first heard about this one, thoughts of it stalked me. I couldn't get it out of my head. The only way I could get some peace was to just join it. It was shocking to see how few of the books I'd actually read, only about 25 of them. Yes, my head is hanging in shame. There were many, many books on the list I wanted to read (and many, many I have no intention of ever reading). But I told myself the only way I could join is if we had enough of them already in our house that I wouldn't have to buy them. Well, that didn't turn out to be a stumbling block...we had somewhere around 30 of them that I hadn't read yet. So here's the list I made to choose from (wanted to leave a little wiggle room):

*Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon*The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami*The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks*Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole*Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson*The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien*The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle*Dracula by Bram Stoker*The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells*The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson*The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain*Little Women by Louisa May Alcott*Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll*Walden by Henry David Thoreau*Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

And yes, it is a tad embarrassing admitting I've never read those books. Oh well. I never did claim to be sophisticated now, did I?

But look at my reasoning...1) Maggie is such a sweet hostess, 2) I really, really enjoyed this challenge last summer, and 3) you all were tempting me too much with your lists! I didn't stand a chance, did I?

Here's what I'll be attempting (nice qualifier, huh?) to read:*A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole*Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (Yes, I realize that Mr. Berendt isn't from the South, but Maggie gave me the o.k. for this one.)*A Painted House by John Grisham (I didn't really want to read another John Grisham book for this year's challenge, but since I already owned it and since it sounds a bit different from others of his I've read, I decided it would have to do.)

That's the spirit, Debi! It's all about trying. I tried to resist the Southern Reading Challenge. For about an hour :P I haven't officially joined yet but I'm making lists in my head and there's no turning back after that. I love your list for the 1% Well Read Challenge. And A Confederacy of Dunces is so good. One of my favourite books ever. I hope you enjoy it as well!

Yay Debi!! I feel not so alone now :) We can celebrate our finishing half our challenges together! I think that with all that we've gotten ourselves into this year, that's pretty damn good, don't you? lol...

That 1% challenge haunts us all. I haven't given in, so far, but I'm having One of Those Years, so I can talk myself into avoiding challenges.

I didn't join the Southern Reading Challenge, last year, simply because I can't stand to read about the Deep South (where I live) when it is so freaking hot!!! Winter is the time for reading about heat, for me. Last summer I read Blizzard, a 70's disaster novel, when it was in the 100s. And, I wore snowflake earrings. Maggie's a doll, though. If I was joining challenges, I'd join in just because she's the host.

Great lists!! And hey--with some cross-posting you've already got your list for the classics challenge! How easy is that?? I really liked The Curious Incident and am really upset that I loaned it out and never got it back. :( I *love* Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass!

I have only read one of the books on that list that you posted so I am not doing any better than you are. I can't think about it too hard, though, because I just don't need to join another reading challenge. La, la, la, la la (fingers stuffed in ears - I am not listening to the call of the challenge!).

Regarding your post on Saturday and your new piles of books...I am beginning to worry that you may have to get rid of one of the kids soon just to put up bookshelves ( I hop eyou know I am kidding!)- where do you put all of your books?!?!?! I think you could fill a mansion or two with just your book sale haul!

How funny!! I just posted a post very similar to this today. Then I come over here and see your post! I'm dead serious when I think we might be related!!

From the 1001 books list, I've only read 38. But I have read 3 on your list!! Never Let Me Go was a great book!! I also read Jane Eyre, which I highly enjoyed and Dr. Jekyll (which was also very good!) You have 2 really great lists there!!

I think I'm going to pass on the 1%Challenge but I've got the list and I've read something like 38 of them. I've also gone through and marked of those I want to read, which comes to 114! I think I'm going to treat that list like the Pulitzer Project list and read them as they fit in.

I'll be looking forward to review of the Garden of Good and Evil. I've considered it several times but haven't gotten around to reading it.